MAU (UP): Protesters vandalised a police station and torched vehicles as a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act and police action at Jamia Millia Islamia University turned violent here on Monday, prompting police to fire in the air.
The videos of the violence, which have gone viral on social media, show that the computer room of Mau's Dakshintola police station vandalised with chairs and some computers damaged.
A portion of the boundary wall of the police station was also damaged, and firemen could be seen extinguishing fire, which had erupted in one corner of the police station.
Dakshintola police station SHO Nihar Nandan Kumar told PTI, "Over 300 barged into the police station premises between 5.00 pm and 6.00 pm. They were agitating, and had broken the boundary wall. There have been some minor damages. Let me assess the extent of damage."
Police lobbed tear-gas shells and also fired in the air to control the situation.
An eyewitness said protesters set ablaze 15 vehicles, including those of police. Police, however, gave out a much smaller number of vehicles damaged.
Inspector General (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar said in Lucknow, "Three or four motorcycles were set ablaze. The unlawful assembly has been dispersed. Additional forces have been deployed. Presently, peace and order is being maintained," he said in a statement.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said senior officials are at the spot.
"The mob has been dispersed. Section 144 of the CrPC is already implemented in the district," he said, referring to the section that prohibits assembly of people. UP Director General of Police O P Singh denied reports that a curfew has been imposed in Mau.
"Only Section 144 of CrPC is in place, and this should not be considered imposition of curfew in the district. The situation is absolutely peaceful there and one or two motorcycles were burnt," he said.
Mau District Magistrate Gyanprakash Tripathi told reporters that some youths from Mirza Hadipur area had planned to submit a memorandum to protest the police action at Delhi's Jamia Milia Islamia University.
"Subsequently, crowd swelled up in the locality. Police reached the spot and tried to remove the protestors. This angered the crowd, and they resorted to stone-pelting in the vicinity of Dakshintola police station and set a few vehicles ablaze. No one has been injured," he said.
Tripathi also said that motorcycles of a few journalists and policemen were set ablaze by the protestors.
"Police resorted to mild use of force, and controlled the situation. Guilty persons are being identified through CCTV footage, and they will be booked," he said.
The district magistrate also said, "Section 144 of CrPC is imposed in the district and an appeal has been made to the residents to stay inside their houses. A person who had instigated the crowd to hit the streets is under our scanner and necessary actions will be taken."